Anna Von Mertens' hand-dyed and stitched cotton textiles really struck me when I first saw them. But there was definitely a part of me that was very cynical when I read that they were aura portraits of the dead who are portrayed in art historically significant paintings- it came across as a bit too "new agey". Martens' also admits that "The tension of belief informs this work."So then after some thought, I knew there was also a side of me that definitely feels an energy when around art ...And what's the problem if someone maps the aura of those that have past through abstract textiles? -especially when they are this beautiful. seriously.